Saturday, October 15, 2011

LIVE BLOG: From Occupy Toronto #occupybaystreet

communitynoise.ca returns to life!

Community Noise has been quiet for a while on this blog, but we've been very active elsewhere!

We've got our lively facebook group and projects for fall including a neighborhood tour and the coming community webspace. We're also getting savvy with a new Twitter and the high tech feed from Occupy Toronto, which you can follow and get in on below.

We'll update some things here and we'll hopefully be ready to migrate to the new site design, sooner rather than later.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Community Houses, Rebel Junction, Status For All!

Contents of our newsletter, for those who've not seen it, or who might like to copy it
or link to it. 300 copies are now in circulation, and we've got a few more to distribute.

COMMUNITY HOUSES

Toronto is seeing the end of some long-standing collective houses in 2011, like the Gild and DuSpa in the Annex, while others like the Mudhouse on Manning Ave remain, and others are forming. One collective in the Dupont/ Gladstone area are opening up a community space in their ground-level storefront. They’re looking to host free info, zines and media, workshops and readings, and musical events. We hope to see more from these efforts in the future.

Combining communal and residential modes is important. It brings people together, connects our everyday lives to empowering possibilities, and makes creative space and activity affordable. It shifts us from isolated consumer lifestyles to an integrated, communal, producer culture. Even knitting circles and book clubs are rad. We can integrate respectfully into residential neighbourhoods while providing positive personal and social engagement and activity.

Do you have a community space in your home? Do you host projects or events? Organized or informal, big or small, we’d like to hear about it. Email us and we can feature it in our newsletter and/ or on our blog.

REBEL JUNCTION

Rebel Junction is a new community space, social enterprise, and African Diaspora-inspired thrift store, 183 Queen St E at Jarvis. It’s independently founded and run by Anika Jarrett and Destinie Adelakun, two young women looking to give back to their community. It is an indie response to the need for cultural and youth development programs in the downtown core.

RJ is looking to inspire, connect and enable youth, artists, community organizers and entrepreneurs, to design socially responsible retail, events, and programs, and help build progressive, accessible creative spaces and small businesses. RJ is offering summer internships (apply by July 01st), giving youth opportunities to work individually and collectively, run retail and creative projects, and develop career goals. They’re also looking to connect with organizations and programs to build their reach and capacity, and help develop sharing of knowledge and resources

Events include an intern/ volunteer recruitment in June/ July, open house events and fundraisers, and an official launch projected for late 2011. Check out the internships, info and more at rebeljunction.tumblr.com.

Let Alvaro Stay/ Status For All!

The ‘Let Alvaro Stay’ campaign mobilized a large community in support of Alvaro Orozco, demanding that Toronto and Canada recognize his community, his life and work, and his rights to safety and status. He won permanent resident status but hard work remains. We support the efforts of No One Is Illegal and others in questioning an unjust immigration system. Check out toronto.nooneisillegal.org/node/609 for more info.

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And a bit about us, and our listings which you can view here; just click 'Calendar' at the top of the page. The feedback has been great and we're looking good for the July edition.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

CN JUNE / Newsletter and Outreach

Community Noise’s first newsletter is out and seems to be a success. 300+ copies are being distributed; Bloordale, Bloorcourt, Dundas West, Kensington/ U of T/ Annex, other locales, and through our friends’ zine and media distros, with good feedback so far. We’ve uploaded the pdf for folks to check out and perhaps help print or distribute. Let us know if you’d like some copies, or to make some copies!

With distribution we’re also doing outreach for projects and venues – people who’d like to promote themselves in our space, or who’d like to offer up their space, or collaborate on projects. We’re looking to shake out the spring and welcome summer with a reception/ dance party/ maybe an acoustic show, at the end of June. And to get a move on bigger, more complex events in July and onward. Stay tuned?

Other June goals include keeping up the outreach, building our online listings, getting a wordpress website going, eating our veggies and staying rad.

Check out the uploaded newsletter and let us know what you think!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

CN Newsletter / Call for Submissions

Community Noise is putting out its first newsletter for JUNE 01ST
We are seeking submissions for TUESDAY MAY 24TH:

LISTINGS, for your June events for the events calendar on the back,
Any info, media releases, etc for things you'd like spotlighted on the front.
ART, photography, etc for your event or on the themes of Community Noise:

Our coverage includes underground cultures, community news and events, social
justice and activist happenings, and definitely the things inbetween, in Toronto.
We’re distributing this widely, in community spaces and friendly businesses,
and as a PDF to enable anyone who wants to distribute a few copies.
We will be updating our online listings more properly as of June.

communitynoise@gmail.com is the place to send info. Please include any event
links, websites, etc. Please also feel free to repost this, wherever you see fit.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Community Noise / MAY

Our second meeting was a good one! We munched on little burritos and pineapple, discussed ideas both ideological and practical, and made some action plans.

We identified a need to grow, from a mutual support group of mostly friends, to a diverse, community- and action-based group. We discussed info shops, centralized alternative spaces, and the lack thereof in Toronto. We listed some storefronts, spaces, events and people to add to the resource page. There’s lots going on but it continues to be quite disconnected. We want to connect the things that are going on, and develop our own.

FLYER/ NEWSLETTER

We've decided to try publishing a monthly one-sheet newsletter, both outreach for our project and to help connect things and people in Toronto. It will be simple for now, with news and art on the front and an event calendar on the back.

communitynoise@gmail.com is the place to send listings. Content can also appear in longer form on the blog so we welcome extra details, media releases, and images and graphics. We’re getting this together to hit the street June 01st and will try to distribute widely. We welcome input from those undertaking or considering similar projects. Our newsletter will cover underground scenes, community events, and activist happenings.

SHOWS/ EVENTS

We also discussed our first event/s. We’re working on the where and when, then the who and what, hoping to promote a show in the June newsletter.

We discussed outdoor spots, storefronts, and some alternative spaces. We hope to be open to street traffic, accessible to all ages, and as free as possible. We’re likely joining in on a street festival in July, we’re working out an anti-oppressive “safer spaces” stance, and we’ll post events plans in the group and on the blog.

May is looking a bit crazy! In three weeks we hope to have a newsletter and our first event put together! Time to sprout some fins and learn to swim.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Community Noise meeting/ gathering May 07th

So the second Community Noise meeting is set!

Saturday May 07th, 3-6pm, 3:45ish meeting start

Demian and Vicky’s house, 818 college st w, apt. 4

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=117316091684225

E-mail if you'd like to know more, communitynoise@gmail.com.
We’ll send out an updated agenda, open up the meeting floor,
discuss ideas, form working groups where there's interest,
then do some outreach and get things moving in earnest.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Community Noise Comes To Life

It might've seemed quiet here but things are very happening at Community Noise! We’ve got lots of life and energy and exchange going on over at the facebook group. It's a tight-knit, vibrant network and it's already helped foster a few projects and events. Check out The Gild on May 01st for the first event we’ve helped get off the ground.

We've debuted our Community and Calendar listings, check out the tabs above. And we’ve got a new layout, creating a lot of space for the things we want to do. We’ve enabled comments and welcome input and feedback as we flesh things out. Let’s make this an open, public, community space if we can.

We'll host our next meeting in a few weeks, with a big focus on our own shows and events. I'm looking forward to us rolling up our sleeves and digging in the dirt. There have been plenty of inspiring events put on by friends and the people around us. Toronto the city is in a tough place but resistance and creativity are fertile. With CN we’re trying to connect and empower and engage and grow.

ps please feel free to be a blog 'follower'. It will keep you in the loop and it'll look good and help build momentum.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

IDEAS - March/ April

Our first meeting was a success! 18 of us, we covered a lot of ground and developed great ideas. Xenia, Karol and Suzanne shared some words and music including a surprise collaboration. Big thanks to Joe too for recording.

HOUSES/ SPACES

Keren’s, Xenia’s, The Gild and The Nuspa have all been suggested as potential venues for meetings, workshops or performances. Aardvark Collective, No Plastics, 918 Bathurst and other entities and spaces can also be added to the resource list. We reflected on the potential for running venues/ spaces in Toronto. There are ideas and desires but it’s tough to make them work and stick.

FOOD PROJECTS

There’s lots of involvement and interest in food projects, home and community gardens, etc. Perhaps there could be a meeting to explore and connect these ideas, or The Gild might like to incorporate this interest into its own events?

RADIO RADIO

Paddy and/or Indie Love Radio could perhaps host a workshop on alternative radio, breaking into the field, ideas around the medium, etc. CN could co-ptesent, help build interest, help find a space, etc.

LITERARY STUFF

There is diverse interest in a literary project – writers’ group, reading series, publishing project, media group, etc. Perhaps someone could host a meeting around these ideas, see which ones gel, then report at the next open meeting?

SHOWS/ EVENTS

There will be email and a meeting at my house in a few weeks to discuss this aspect. Hopefully the first event can happen in late April. We will need music, non-music content, venues, PAs, and promo.

POSTER PROJECT

The idea needs some work but it could be cool to develop posters or decals declaring community, cooperative or anti-oppressive values, and try to set them up in local shops and businesses. We could return to this idea later.

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Some of these ideas are developing over at the facebook group. Eventually they'll migrate over here or to a proper website. Join the group and get involved!

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Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Meeting and gathering

[Updated on Friday March 04th]

Community Noise hosts its first meeting and gathering

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It’s incredibly encouraging to see such a good response to the group
and to our first event. Let’s keep it grounded and awesome.

I think I will serve some sweet potato and carrot soup. Perhaps other
food, and tea. Please feel free to bring some vegan-friendly food.

The itinerary for the meeting will look something like:

Introductions: who we are, our interests and ideas, we can work them into
the program or make other arrangements. We'll keep things open and informal.

Demian will discuss CN and some thoughts on communication, online
resources, and developing a shared web space.

Members of The DCC, The Gild and About Face Collective will tell us
about their collectives and ongoing or upcoming projects.

Jones and Xenia will discuss COSM, their effort towards a student
movement at OCADU.

Karol will discuss the closure of Project 165 and we can discuss
the potential for future venues and spaces.

No Apathy! will hopefully be here to promote their next show next
week, and some awesome ideas.

Cara will hopefully be able to tell us about an amazing new shared
space near Bloor and Dovercourt!

Demian will discuss ideas for a Community Safe Space poster project,
and shows and events in storefronts and public spaces.

And there are some awesome ideas around a writing, publishing and/ or
performance collective.

Suzanne will read words, Xenia and Natalie will play some songs,
Suzanne and Demian will reprise songs from their Daycares band.
Karol will close us out with some down-home Garbageface ballads.

Perhaps if there's time and energy there could be a closing jam.

Demian's house
Message for address, college and ossington
Meeting will start 8 or 8:30, late arrivals are also welcome


communitynoise@gmail.com
http://communitynoise.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=198694443476786

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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

IDEAS - FEBRUARY

It feels like this project is off to a very good start!!! Big thanks to everyone who’s shown interest in specific stuff or in general. Let’s keep things moving.

We’ve got a volunteer to design a logo, and we could use a blog banner and maybe a background/ layout. Any ideas on any of these?

communitynoise blog – I’d like this to be a place for lots of people to post and respond, to host discussions both philosophical and practical. Vegan shopping, gender/ sexism in our lives, bike or guitar repair, the politics of dance music, the next book fair or conference. Anyone can comment and if you’re on blogger you can follow and ask to post. And you can contribute by email and in person. I also suggest:

Community – a page for links to projects, groups, movements and resources in Toronto and beyond. With quick descriptions, categories or tags to make them way more meaningful at a glance. I will try to get this started this month.

Calendar – listings of upcoming events. I imagine a listings style over a calendar but we can see what works. It will be intuitive in terms of relevance but very open and broad. We may want/ need someone to focus on this and hold it down.

communitynoise.bandcamp.com – I’d like to suggest a musical bulletin board, where people can post songs, demos, dubs, stuff seeking collaborators or remixers. We can host say 20-30 songs at any time. Awesome for when you need like-minded bands for your bill!

*I will be hosting a monthly meeting/ potluck/ performance night at my house. Probably kicking off March 04th or 06th. I think the first will see people introducing their interests, their projects and collectives, and then some music. Get in touch quite soon if you’d like to present or perform.*

Get in touch if you’ve got ideas or submissions for any of the above, and maybe want to help compile. I’d be happy to share some of the logins and passwords.

I think this might just be enough for February. It’s possible these things will grow very slowly and modestly. Though it’s possible they’ll explode or flower or balloon before our eyes. Culture and nature can surprise you sometimes.

Q And Not U - Beautiful People

communitynoise gmail.com
communitynoise.blogspot.com
communitynoise.bandcamp.com
Community Noise /////// on facebook

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

RE-INTRODUCTION

It’s been a while since Community Noise presented itself to the world. We put on some music at Teranga on 12 August 2010. We got a good crowd, had a great time, and gave out a bunch of buttons promoting this web page. And then left it untouched for 150 days.

I’d like to think we’ve all had lots going on; I know I did. Life, home, work, music all took over for me, as they can for people, and all saw a lot happen. I hope to show some of the fruits of that labour in the future. And I’m curious about yours.

In a sense there’s the theme of this project, the ways life, reality and creativity run through and around each other, in our lives, our cities and our worlds. Our struggles and projects are a small part of a large, complex whole. A lot’s going on in a city like Toronto, a lot of people working with what they’ve got and what makes sense to them. A lot of connections are made but there are always connections being missed. And so we often find ourselves starting over. Indie musicians and artists learn “we jam econo” while others go without resources or a voice. I suggest integration of ideas, purposes, resources and bodies. Interaction between indie scenes, local cultures and social movements. We’ve got a lot to offer one another.

‘Community Noise’ suggests the honest, messy, exuberant expressions of a community. A radical presence in everyday life, and a desire to integrate. I’d like to introduce these ideas, bring people up to speed on our first show and other stuff, and then open things up. I’d like this to be a communal group blog, hosting discussions and helping to make things happen. Ideas for the blog and project include:

- Create a Links page for projects, groups and movements in Toronto
- Debut a little place for people to share the music they’re working on
- Discussions, online and in person, about ideas and potential projects
- Events, meetings, potlucks, workshops, performances, manifestations
- Events integrating workshops/ education with music and performances
- Houses, storefronts, laundromats, garages, alleys, parks, public spaces
- Collaborations with groups like Burn Down The Capital, A Mountain Far,
and others. Maybe even your own?

If you’re into one or more of these ideas you can email, comment, join the group, ask to be an admin or a blog poster. Let us know what you’ve got and what you want, what you do and what you want to do and what you want to say.

communitynoise at gmail.com
Community Noise facebook group

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